Whisps of Air
by Lazerwolf314
Summary: It happened in a blink and a millenium. Air became fire and flames raced outwards, crackling with glee when they found their mark on flesh. Inspired by the promos for 'Priority of Life'
1. Chapter 1

_Hello all._

_This piece was inspired after I saw the promos for 'Priority of Life' and I could not resist posting. I truly hope that the show does perhaps follow along with where I'm leading, as it would be amazing in my mind. But, no matter. They are always tricky when it comes to Sam and Jules and the team. Theoreticaly, I should be posting a few times a week until this is over, as it's planned to be a short little fic. But who knows. It will probably gain a life of its own._

_So, please let me know what you think as reviews are like chocolate and solid kicks in the face for my muse._

_Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Flashpoint._

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><p>It came as rapid as a lightning bolt and as slow as a snail.<p>

She remembered every detail with perfect clarity; each second filed away into her mind. She saw the vial drop and shattered on the cool floor, shards exploding outwards from the source of the impact. She saw a thin vapor swirl outwards from its broken shell, dissipating into the already gaseous air and pressing heavily in her lungs. She saw the gun raise in shaking hands and the finger tighten on the trigger.

But mostly she remembered her body surging forward in order to slam the weapon away before that fatal bullet was released. She had felt her fingers just close over the barrel as it jerked and the spark entered into existence.

Then the air became fire and a tremendous force shoved her backwards and away. Her body flew several feet, flames racing alongside her as their greedy tongues tried to find a chink in her armour, crackling with glee when it found its mark on flesh. A harsh breath exploded from her lungs as her body landed heavily on the hard tile, skidding until she slammed head first into a table with a crash.

And there was a faint cry of a voice so familiar in her ears, so haunted and scared as he yelled her name. A meager croak was all she managed. "Sam..."

Then there was nothing but darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

_I'm so excited for this nights episode, that I have been driving my family bonkers. So, I thought I should put some of that energy to good use. This Sam's view of the first chapter, something that I originally wasn't going to write but discovered that it would play a key part in future chapters. So, voila. Enjoy. And it is a tad longer than the previous one, as a treat to all of you._

_And a special thanks goes to Tinkerpanda, who literally 'bludgeoned' my muse. That sincerely made my day. Thanks._

_Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Flashpoint._

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><p>He was helpless to stop it, designated to the position of watcher as it happened.<p>

Stuck behind the industrial strength lab glass, all he could do was pound on it uselessly and listen to Raf do the same, having the same result of failure. At first, he was simply waiting for the go to enter, the signal to jump in and protect her as she had the situation under control. As far as he could see anyway. But then the lab tech was threatened, gun waved directly in front of her face and that, coupled with what could only be described as severe anxiety, was enough for the woman's hands to go slack and release the vial.

That's when things slowed, his heart began to stutter and fear made itself known. Seconds later, air vanished into the hungry grasp of fire as the bright flames filled the room and every body was thrown by the force of the explosion. He watched in choked horror as Jules was tossed easily across the room, limbs as light as a doll's and spun in ways that sickened him. The products of the explosion danced beside her and he gagged with the knowledge of what they were doing. In his ear, the rest of the team were shouting; so was he which he didn't note it at the time, but it became nothing more than a muted buzz.

His very core froze when he saw her slam the ground, head colliding sharply with the corner of a table and the final fangs of fire rolling their way over her prone figure. His voice cracked desperately as he yelled into his earpiece.

"Jules! Common, Jules, answer me!" In the depths of his mind, he registered Greg speaking to him in gentle tones, but the information simply couldn't process as he balanced on hope and anguish.

Then he heard it. One word that said volumes and yet was nearly blank.

"Sam…"

Then there was nothing but silence on her com.


	3. Chapter 3

_I was a little perturbed after I watched 'Priority of Life' as I was going to use the shrapnel in the arm… Freaky coincidence? Methinks so. Major thank yous to all reviewers as well. Enjoy._

_Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Flashpoint._

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><p>She came too with agonizing slowness. Her mind was sluggish to respond, when her conscious returned, leaving her confused and lost. She was in a state of numbness and couldn't feel her limbs which under normal circumstances would have terrified her but at this moment she was too occupied with trying to recall where she was.<p>

She was lying on her right side, that much she was aware of. There was a weight pressing down on her length wise and it took her a long moment to realize that it was part of a shelf from one of the lab's many equipment's. One end was smeared with blood, but she was unable to tell if it was hers or not. And the air was thick with smoke and heat, causing her breath to stutter in her throat.

There was a buzzing in her ear and a pounding in her head. It throbbed in time with her heartbeat, filling her mind with nothing but the constant thump. Jumbled memories assaulted her first, flashes of fire and red blurring with other, seemingly random recollections. They twisted when she tried to focus on them, warping and shifting out of reach before she could achieve any clarity.

A dulled part of her recognized this as signs of a head wound.

But her pain receptors re-fired before she could attempt focusing on it.

It washed from every inch of her body, every nerve coming alive as if they had been struck by a wire. At first, she could not even move under the powerful assault; body arching as restraint failed her and training crumbled.

A ragged scream escaped her bloody lips.

Then the pain that was everywhere at once faded and was replaced by a new pain, a sharper, stronger pain coming from a single point. Her left arm radiated a pain so hot and ferocious, it burned more than the very flames that had licked at her. Unbidden, another strangled sound left her throat before she could halt it.

After a brief second of bracing herself, she shifted her head enough to peer towards her left arm. The movement caused a surge of blood to race to her head and her vision blurred for a minute. Then it cleared and she could see the full extent of the damage. Blood stained bone had burst through the fabric of her uniform in two places, indicating that both bones were broken. Each end was jagged and from the sight of the wound, a mediocre amount of sluggish red liquid emerged continuously. It was all she could do not to bite her lip and moan.

Suddenly, instinct returned and over road her sense of panic. Her mind still had not cleared fully; undistinguishable voices still buzzed in her ear, but part of her knew that she had to get away from the choking air. With a rush of strength that she didn't know she had within her, she moved her right arm out from beneath her body and nearly cried out in shock as her other arm shifted. She clenched her jaw tight and pressed her eyes shut before slowly pulling herself forward, her hand scrabbling for purchase.

She didn't know in which way she was headed; the thick smoke clogged the air to much, but the way she was dragging herself felt right.

Maybe he was waiting for her.


	4. Chapter 4

_I'm already on Flashpoint withdrawl. I can't wait for the new season!_

_Reviews are love and chocolate._

_Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Flashpoint._

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><p>Black smoke hung heavy over the lab. It curled through the air, red flickers dancing at the edges as the fire continued its struggled to take form. However, the sputtering spray from damaged sprinklers prevented the remaining chemicals from catching light.<p>

Only one form was moving, a single woman wearing police issued body armour and a scorched grey uniform. The three remaining people, two men and a woman, were still. The scent of their burned flesh mingled with the smoke, only one's weak breaths reaching the air. A white film had coated the two men's eyes, a sign that death had once again claimed lives. The woman in a white lab coat was sprawled on her back, sightless eyes staring at the ceiling. Blood dripped from burned sockets, pooling below her head. Her breath whistled in and out in broken gasps, short little bursts of sound that mingled with a whine of sirens and crackle of burning plastic.

Jules, having been thrown to the far side of the lab, was struggling to pull herself across the room. A trail of vibrant red spread behind her form. She didn't know which way was up, whether she was headed towards the heart of the explosion, or away from it. Blood loss had clouded her vision with grey and she could no longer think coherently. All that she knew and all that her instincts had left her was the need to get to Sam. There was no logic in her thinking, no true sanity, just some underlying need to find comfort. To find an escape from the pain.

Her broken arm was cradled to her side, held immobile by only the sheer force of her will. It didn't bounce in the time with her spadoric movement, frozen in place by pain and waning strength. The other arm seemed to move on its own accord, jerking into motion for seconds before freezing. Control was slipping, melting down and hammered by waves of pain.

A multitude of voice surrounded her, words unclear but the emotion conveyed just the same. Worry, fear, hope, anger and anguish. The voices of her family, pulled at the fuzz around her thoughts, bringing a small amount of clarity. A tiny bit of hope.

And she held onto it. Even as sensory overload flooded and weakness filled her arm, slowing her progress into a mere inches at a time, she refused to give up. Because the family in her head wouldn't let her.


	5. Chapter 5

_I am missing Flashpoint so very much._

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><p>They were trapped in the hand of some gleeful devil.<p>

But more so than most, was Sam.

Silence crackled in his ear for a brief second before it went blank, signaling that Jules' com had died. That she was severed from them.

Heart in throat, Sam struggled to peer through the thick smoke that had engulfed the lab. Standing at the window next to him, Raf was trying just as hard to see into the room, reporting to Greg and Ed what was happening.

Beside him, Raf could literally feel the waves of distress and anguish rolling off the blue eyed sniper and it chilled the youngest member to the bone. Never before had he felt such pain radiating from a single person. Not even when his father had lost his mother. A part of him wished he could offer Sam any sort of comfort, of distraction, but Raf somehow knew nothing he could do would be welcome. So all he could do was stare into the ruins of the lab and pray.

Needing something, anything, to do, Raf strode to the door and tested it.

In their coms, the voices of Spike, Ed and, somehow, Greg (_where had he come from?_ Some distant part of Sam's mind wondered) were harsh and panicked and demanding answers. Answers that would simply not remove themselves from the place in his throat where they had become lodged. Beside him, Raf was battling furiously with a door that simply wouldn't budge, growling at Spike when he was told the room had gone into automatic lockdown with the explosion.

One of Sam's hands was pressed hard to the glass in front of him. In fact, it was the only thing that was holding him upright for the moment. Because he couldn't see through the smoke. He couldn't see her.

"Jules, Jules, please, talk to me. Jules, say something. Please." Over and over, he repeated this mantra. It had become a plea of desperation, not only to her, but to the gods above.

Suddenly, finally, a clear voice broke through the haze in his mind, along with a faint crackle that he couldn't place.

It was Parker.

"Sam." His name was spoken softly, the tone gentle even as Greg tried to hide rampant fear in his own voice, and it managed to bring Sam to a stuttering pause. In that one word, he heard a warning, an apology, a shared pain and a pity so profound, it reverberated.

Instinctively, he knew what was being asked of him. And he hated it.

The sigh that exploded from his lungs was enough for Greg.

"Okay. Let's bring her home."


	6. Chapter 6

Eventually, the remaining fires sputtered out as there was nothing in the stark, stainless steel filled lab, leaving behind a lingering haze of blue-grey smoke.

In the distance, a heavy pounding echoed, the thudding sound of a battering ram against the locked metal doors.

Sam's muscles trembled with effort as he brought the ram back for another swing. He hit the door again and it groaned in protest. At his back, two paramedics and Raf hovered, all anxious in their own ways to make it into the lab.

Coiling his body, Sam took in a deep breath and brought the ram down again.

The locks finally crumbled under the steady onslaught and bounced off the far wall and the four surged inside, the heavy ram absently tossed aside. They only had to take a few steps before they reached the first still form.

Sam's heart stuttered as he took in the blood coating Jules' uniform and the soot streaked across her lax face. One of the paramedics instantly went down next to the SRU officer while the other split off to check the bodies further in the lab.

Waiting with bated breath, Sam could only hover, as the paramedics fingers went to Jules' throat. Raf's hand rested on Sam's shoulder in solidarity.

When the paramedic announced that she had found a pulse, Sam's knees went weak and he nearly lost his footing, the sheer force of will keeping him upright.

The remainder of the day was a blur of activity, a blur Sam could barely remember other than the moment when Greg approached him just as he was stepping into the ambulance.

"Sam," the Sarg called and Sam paused.

Looking back, he met Greg's gaze and felt a rush of emotions when all Greg did was nod in understanding.

"Thank you," Sam whispered brokenly.

Then he sat down next to his girlfriend and took her limp hand in his as the doors were slammed shut behind her.

.

Three days later found Jules finally waking up and staying awake for longer than a few minutes.

It was the biggest relief Sam had ever felt since the day Jules was shot.

Sitting as close to the hospital bed as possible, Sam had been watching her anxiously ever since he spotted the movement of Jules' eye lids.

"Common sweetheart, you can do it," Sam murmured.

"S-Sam?" the tentative whisper shot a burst of hope and joy straight to Sam's core.

"Hey sweetheart," Sam said, his voice shaking.

Confused but clear brown eyes opened slowly and rolled to meet Sam's watery gaze. A slow smile crossed her face.

"I hear you," she whispered.

Blinking at her, Sam's brows furrowed. "What do you mean honey?"

"In my ear. I heard you and Spike and Raf and Greg and Ed. I heard all of you," Jules paused as she drew in a breath to fight off encroaching waves of pain. "That's what I held onto."

"That's what got me through."

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><p><em>And thus we reach the end.<em>


End file.
